Need advice please

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roby7
roby7 Member Posts: 55
edited August 2015 in Lymphedema

Hi,

I had breast cancer and chemo but this post is not about me it is about my dear Aunt. Ten years ago she had the same but she got lymphedema. Her hand is very swollen. She wants know what to buy for message and sleeves

What are the best brands?? She bought some but they are not good also she needs a message hand

Excuse my English as I am not a native speaker

Any advice or tips will be great

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  • Kicks
    Kicks Member Posts: 4,131
    edited August 2015

    She needs to see a LymphEdema Therapist for education/LE massage /techniquess to do it herself, measurements and appropriate garments for her. There are particular techniques for LE massage, to get the right size sleeves and gloves wrapping needs to be done to lower the swelling so correct measurements can be done, Some do fit in 'off the shelf' (ready made garments) but not all can. Different ones of us need different compreesion levels. In other words, an educated LymphEdema Therapist is paramount.

    Depending on the type of swelling and time it's been there, she might need to see a Dr for antibiotics if it is infection/cellulitis.

    If you have had BC surgery, it would be a good idea for you to see an LET for education and evaluation before any issues develope.

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  • Binney4
    Binney4 Member Posts: 8,609
    edited August 2015

    Roby, how kind of you to look for answers for your aunt! There are many good brands of gloves and sleeves, but as Kicks says, it's best if she can see a well-qualified lymphedema therapist for help getting the right fit and the right treatment. Here is how to find one near her:

    http://www.stepup-speakout.org/Finding_a_Qualified...

    On that page there's a link to a Therapist Locator that covers many different countries, not just the U.S.

    And here's a page that covers some things she can try on her own until she can see a lymphedema therapist:

    http://www.stepup-speakout.org/How_You_Can_Cope_wi...

    Please do let us know how she's doing, and how we can help! Gentle hugs to you both,
    Binney

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  • roby7
    roby7 Member Posts: 55
    edited August 2015

    Hi Kicks,

    Thanks for your reply my aunt is not in USA but she will come may be in October. She is using several brands for sleeves and doing message but she wants a good brand for the sleeves from USA also her message therapist left her and she needs a message device. She wants me to order them and I don't know what to order

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  • roby7
    roby7 Member Posts: 55
    edited August 2015

    Hi Binney,

    Thanks for your reply I really liked the article a lot of information as I told Kicks the problem she is not in USA I hope she can come soon but until then she needs some relief. My hugs to you too.

    Rehab

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  • Kicks
    Kicks Member Posts: 4,131
    edited August 2015

    My day garments are custom made by Juzo. The ready made sleeves and gloves in the compression level I need do not fit me at all so have to be custom made to fit me. My hands are 'weird' - they are slightly 'webbed' so gloves HAVE to be very custom to keep them from cutting the webbing between my fingers.

    Juzos are sold in the US but are made in Germany (at least the custom ones are - not sure about the 'ready made ones). There is no one manufacturer that is 'best' for all of us. As I said I wear Juzo day garments (my night garment is a Solaris Tribute - also custom). Others use different manufacturers and like them. I haven't tried any other brands because VA supplies mine and they deal with Juzo. Correct measurements and level of compression are what is most important. No matter how good the quality of the garments are - if they do not fit correctly or are the wrong compression level, they can do more harm than good. Again - I can not use high level compression as it causes immediate major swelling, low level works great. But for others high level compression works grreat while low level does not - makes 'things' worse for them. We are each unique and it is not just buying 'something'.

    When you say your Aunt needs a "message device" are you referring to a MLD (Manual Lymphedema Drainage) machine? These are quite costly - in the thousands of dollars. Insurance often will cover a lot of the cost but as she is not in US don't have any idea. The garment section are something that needs correct fitting for size as the garments for them are important. I've had my FlexiTouch MLD for 5 yrs and for me, I need Small Long arm section and Small Regular upper and lower body garment sections for it to work correctly. Larger garment sections would not be a snug enough fit to work as designed while these sections would not be useable by someone larger than I am.

    I do hope that your Aunt can find a competent LET to help her. It is not always easy to find what what works for each of us individually.

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